“Right,” I said. “Um…but what about your kids? They aren’t safe, not with our enemies at large.”
“What do you expect us to do? Take care of them?” That was Alom.
Ah-Puch’s eyes flashed around the room. “Such a bad renovation,” he said. “What happened to all the demon skins? And the skull chandeliers?”
“They cannot spend their lives in hiding,” Kukuulkaan said.
“Are we talking about the skulls, or the godborns?” Nakon said.
“What do you know of hiding?” Ixkakaw sneered.
Kukuulkaan started to speak but was interrupted by a familiar voice.
“I know everything about hiding.”
We all turned to see Pacific standing in the threshold.
I think everyone’s hearts stopped beating. At least mine did.
Pacific, goddess of time, had been wiped from memory because she’d once told a prophecy about me the gods didn’t want to hear. They’d been led to believe my dad had executed her, but instead he and Kukuulkaan had hidden her beneath the ocean, where she’d spent the last several hundred years. Yeah, she knew a thing or two about living in hiding.
She stood there with her locs and leopard cape, holding a golden rope in her hands. The time rope. Her blue eyes were fierce—they had a look that said Don’t mess with me. I have a time rope and I know how to use it. Her expression reminded me of the nuns at church—rigid and unpredictable.
The gods began shouting. Insults zoomed, faces reddened, spit flew. They pounded their fists. There might have been some lightning and bursts of fire, too.
With a wave of her hands, Ixtab commanded everyone’s attention. “It is time we come together in peace, without secrets, without grudges, without hate. Only then can we defeat our enemies.” That sounded crazy coming from the queen of secrets.
My head was ringing.
Pacific lifted her chin and her hard gaze, and she spoke so softly everyone had to shut up to hear her. “I will never hide again. Not from you, not from anyone. So if you want to kill me,” she said, “do so knowing that you are destroying a tremendous power that could help vanquish your foes.”
Oh wow. That was a pretty good line.
The gods, shocked into silence, stared hard at Pacific. At first, I thought maybe they were deciding how they might kill Hurakan or Kukuulkaan for their betrayal. But then I saw that they were processing Pacific’s value—to them, to their futures. They couldn’t afford to imprison, kill, or punish any more gods.
I knew the moment the gods had decided the goddess would live, because a calm fell over the room. Pacific stepped closer to the table as she answered the questions that began to fly at her.
Hurakan stood and came over to me, letting them have at it. “I am sure the gods will do the right thing. They will claim their children and grant them their full birthright of godly powers. It’s in their best interests, after all.”
“But won’t that make the godborns more valuable? I mean, as sacrifices?”
“To leave them without any defenses would be worse,” he said.
Ah-Puch joined us, still shaking his head over the room decor. “Where are all the cobwebs?”
“Nice last-minute swoop before the ax came down,” Hurakan said to Ah-Puch.
“If only I’d had time to rip off the twins’ heads,” Ah-Puch said. “I was tempted. Very tempted, but a deal is a deal.” Then his eyes met mine and it was like a thousand words passed between us. But the only ones that mattered were these: we’re good.
I nodded. We were more than good.
“A new treaty will be signed today,” Itzamna said as everyone finally quieted down. “We will work together to defeat our enemies. Ah-Puch and Hurakan and Pacific shall live. We will need their strength as we will need the godborns’. Those who choose not to join us will be exiled. Now, let us vote.”
That was my cue to leave.
The godborns were waiting in the hall outside, along with Hondo, Rosie, Ren, and Brooks, who all hung back. Louie, Serena, and Marco walked straight toward me like they might knock me off my feet.
“We wanted to say thanks,” Serena said.